Udon Thani Province

Udon Thani (Thai อุดรธานี) is one of the north-eastern provinces (changwat) of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are (from north clockwise) Nong Khai, Sakon Nakhon, Kalasin, Khon Kaen, Nongbua Lamphu and Loei.

Geography

Udon Thani is located in the heart of the Khorat Plateau. It is located between Khon Kaen and Nong Khai on the railway line that goes north from Khorat to the border of Laos, Vientiene. The provincial capital, which we'll just call Udorn ("Ooh-dorn") to prevent confusion, is Thailand's fifth-largest MSA. In English, Udon/Udorn can be spelled either way.

History

The province is most famous for the archeological site Ban Chiang with its remains of the Bronze age, located in what is now a hamlet about 85 miles east of Udorn. Udorn is one of the more bustling markets for agricultural goods in the relatively dry northeast of Thailand, and received its biggest economic boost in the 1960s when the US built a joint-force military base there during the Vietnam War (the Mel Gibson film Air America refers to Udorn and includes shots from the Udorn military base).

The U.S. turned the base over to the Thai military in 1976, but there were three significant afteraffects of the base's US presence. First, a number of the natives in the area were paid well and learned English, which helped them become more marketable to the outside world (a significant percentage of the more educated group now work in the Middle East oilfields). Second, the base created ties, including a US Consulate in Udorn which was closed in 1995, and a VFW (veterans of foreign wars) Post. Finally, the base and the consulate caused the city to be viewed as a regional hub, and this impression has continued.

Symbols

The provincial seal shows a Hindu mythological giant (yaksha in Thai yak), referring to Thao Kuwane (Vaishravana or kuvera), the god of the North. The provincial tree is the Teng (Shorea obtusa ), and the provincial flower is the Flame of the forest (Butea monosperma ).

Administrative divisions

The province is subdivided into 18 districts (Amphoe) and 2 minor districts (King Amphoe). The districts are further subdivided into 155 communes (tambon) and 1682 villages.

External links

• Official website of the province
• Province page from the Tourist Authority of Thailand
• Golden Jubilee Network province guide